MCP Server for Salesforce Data Cloud

Build 25.0.9440

Establishing a Connection

The CData MCP Server for Salesforce Data Cloud defines each connection to Salesforce Data Cloud as a named configuration that Claude can use when sending natural language queries.

You create and manage these configurations using the MCP Configuration Tool. The tool automatically handles formatting, storage, and registration with Claude Desktop.

Understanding Connection Configurations

Each connection configuration is stored in a .mcp file. This file includes the details needed to initialize the connector when Claude starts a session.

  • On Windows, configuration files are stored in "~/AppData/Roaming/CData/Salesforce Data Cloud Data Provider/".
  • On macOS, configuration files are stored in "~/Library/Application Support/CData/Salesforce Data Cloud Data Provider/".

The .mcp file is a text file that contains a list of connection properties and a timestamp. For example: 

#Tue May 20 15:48:40 EDT 2025
AuthScheme=Basic
User=myUser
Password=myPassword
Security Token=myToken

The configuration tool handles these settings automatically. Each saved configuration enables Claude to launch a dedicated MCP Server instance with the correct connector and options. Manual file editing is not required.

Connecting to Salesforce Data Cloud

Salesforce Data Cloud supports authentication via the OAuth standard.

OAuth

Set AuthScheme to OAuth.

Desktop Applications

CData provides an embedded OAuth application that simplifies authentication at the desktop.

You can also authenticate from the desktop via a custom OAuth application, which you configure and register at the Salesforce Data Cloud console. For further information, see Creating a Custom OAuth App.

Before you connect, set these properties:

  • InitiateOAuth: GETANDREFRESH. You can use InitiateOAuth to avoid repeating the OAuth exchange and manually setting the OAuthAccessToken.
  • OAuthClientId (custom applications only): The Client ID assigned when you registered your custom OAuth application.
  • OAuthClientSecret (custom applications only): The Client Secret assigned when you registered your custom OAuth application.

When you connect, the server opens Salesforce Data Cloud's OAuth endpoint in your default browser. Log in and grant permissions to the application.

The server then completes the OAuth process as follows:

  • Extracts the access token from the callback URL.
  • Obtains a new access token when the old one expires.
  • Saves OAuth values in OAuthSettingsLocation so that they persist across connections.

Web Applications

Authenticating via the Web requires you to create and register a custom OAuth application with Salesforce Data Cloud, as described in Creating a Custom OAuth App. You can then use the server to get and manage the OAuth token values.

This section describes how to get the OAuth access token, how to have the server refresh the OAuth access token automatically, and how to refresh the OAuth access token manually.

Get the OAuth access token:

  1. To obtain the OAuthAccessToken, set these connection properties:

    • OAuthClientId: The client Id in your custom OAuth application settings.
    • OAuthClientSecret: The client secret in your custom OAuth application settings.

  2. Call stored procedures to complete the OAuth exchange:

    • Call the GetOAuthAuthorizationUrl stored procedure. Set the CallbackURL input to the callback URL you specified in your custom OAuth application settings. If necessary, set the Scope parameter to request custom permissions. The stored procedure returns the URL of the OAuth endpoint.
    • Navigate to the URL that the stored procedure returned in Step 1. Log in and authorize the web application. You are redirected back to the callback URL.
    • Call the GetOAuthAccessToken stored procedure. Set the AuthMode input to WEB. Set the Verifier input to the code parameter in the query string of the callback URL. If necessary, set the Scope parameter to request custom permissions.

After you obtain the access and refresh tokens, you can connect to data and refresh the OAuth access token either automatically or manually.

Automatic Refresh of the OAuth Access Token

To have the server automatically refresh the OAuth access token, set these parameters on the first data connection:

On subsequent data connections, the server obtains the values for OAuthAccessToken and OAuthRefreshToken from OAuthSettingsLocation.

Manual refresh of the OAuth Access Token:

The only value needed to manually refresh the OAuth access token when connecting to data is the OAuth refresh token.

First use the RefreshOAuthAccessToken stored procedure to manually refresh the OAuthAccessToken after the ExpiresIn parameter value returned by GetOAuthAccessToken has elapsed.

Then set these properties:

  • OAuthClientId: The client Id in your custom OAuth application settings.
  • OAuthClientSecret: The client secret in your custom OAuth application settings.

Now call RefreshOAuthAccessToken with OAuthRefreshToken set to the OAuth refresh token returned by GetOAuthAccessToken. After the new tokens have been retrieved, set the OAuthAccessToken property to the value returned by RefreshOAuthAccessToken. This opens a new connection.

Finally, store the OAuth refresh token so that you can use it to manually refresh the OAuth access token after it has expired.

Headless Machines

To configure the server to use OAuth with a user account on a headless machine, you must authenticate on another device that has an internet browser.

Do one of the following:

  • Option 1: Obtain the OAuthVerifier value (see "Obtain and Exchange a Verifier Code", below).
  • Option 2: Install the server on a machine with a browser and transfer the OAuth authentication values after you authenticate through the usual browser-based flow (see "Transfer OAuth Settings", below).

Option 1: Obtain and exchange a verifier code

To obtain a verifier code, you must authenticate at the OAuth authorization URL.

Follow the steps below to authenticate from the machine with an internet browser and obtain the OAuthVerifier connection property.

  1. Choose one of these options:

    • If you are using the embedded OAuth credentials, click Salesforce Data Cloud OAuth endpoint to open the endpoint in your browser.
    • If you are using a Custom OAuthd Application, create the Authorization URL by setting the following properties: Then call the GetOAuthAuthorizationURL stored procedure with the appropriate CallbackURL. Open the URL returned by the stored procedure in a browser.

  2. Log in and grant permissions to the server. You are then redirected to the callback URL, which contains the verifier code.
  3. Save the value of the verifier code. Later you will set this in the OAuthVerifier connection property.
Next, you need to exchange the OAuth verifier code for OAuth refresh and access tokens. Set the following properties:

On the headless machine, set the following connection properties to obtain the OAuth authentication values.

After the OAuth settings file is generated, re-set these properties to connect:

  • InitiateOAuth: REFRESH.
  • OAuthSettingsLocation: The location containing the encrypted OAuth authentication values. Make sure this location gives read and write permissions to the server to enable the automatic refreshing of the access token.
  • OAuthClientId (custom applications only): The client Id assigned when you registered your custom OAuth application.
  • OAuthClientSecret (custom applications only): The client secret assigned when you registered your custom OAuth application.

Option 2: Transfer OAuth settings

Before you connect on a headless machine, you must install and create a connection with the server on a device that supports an internet browser. Set the connection properties as described above, in "Desktop Applications".

After you complete the instructions in "Desktop Applications", the resulting authentication values are encrypted and written to the location specified by OAuthSettingsLocation. The default filename is OAuthSettings.txt.

After you have successfully tested the connection, copy the OAuth settings file to your headless machine.

At the headless machine, set these properties:

  • InitiateOAuth: REFRESH.
  • OAuthSettingsLocation: The location of your OAuth settings file. Make sure this location gives read and write permissions to the server to enable the automatic refreshing of the access token.
  • OAuthClientId (custom applications only): The client Id assigned when you registered your custom OAuth application.
  • OAuthClientSecret (custom applications only): The client secret assigned when you registered your custom OAuth application.

OAuth Password Grant

Follow these steps to set up the Password Grant option:

  1. Set the AuthScheme to OAuthPassword to perform authentication with the password grant type.
  2. Set all the properties specified in either the web or desktop authentication sections above.
  3. Set the User and Password to your login credentials.

Note: If you have enabled Session Settings > Lock sessions to the IP address from which they originated, make sure that your IP address does not change while using the server. If the IP changes during the usage of the server, an "INVALID_SESSION_ID" error is returned from Salesforce Data Cloud and the server will no longer be able to retrieve data. If you receive this error, ask your Salesforce Data Cloud administrator to disable this configuration or make sure to configure a static IP for the instance where you are using the server. Then, reset the connection to continue using the server.

OAuth Client Grant

To use an OAuth client grant, follow these steps:

  1. Set the AuthScheme to OAuthClient to perform authentication with the client grant type.
  2. Set all the properties specified in either the web or desktop authentication sections above.

OAuth PKCE

Follow these steps to set up OAuth PKCE authentication:

  1. Set the AuthScheme to OAuthPKCE to perform authentication with PKCE.
  2. InitiateOAuth: Set this to GETANDREFRESH. You can use InitiateOAuth to avoid repeating the OAuth exchange and manually setting the OAuthAccessToken.
  3. OAuthClientId: The client Id assigned when you registered your custom OAuth application.
  4. OAuthClientSecret: The client secret assigned when you registered your custom OAuth application.
  5. PKCEVerifier: The PKCE code verifier generated from executing the GetOAuthAuthorizationUrl stored procedure.

OAuthJWT

Set the AuthScheme to OAuthJWT.

To obtain the OAuthJWT consumer key:

  1. Log in to Salesforce.com.
  2. From Setup, enter Apps in the Quick Find box and then click the resulting link to create an app. In the Connected Apps section of the resulting page, click New.
  3. Enter a name to be displayed to users when they log in to grant permissions to your app, along with a contact Email address.
  4. Click Enable OAuth Settings and enter a value in the Callback URL box. This value is not needed for this type of authentication, but the Salesforce UI requires that it is set. The Callback URL is in the format: 
    http://localhost:8019/src/oauthCallback.rst
  5. Enable Use digital signatures.
  6. Upload your certificate.
  7. Select the scope of permissions that your app requests from the user.
  8. Click your app name to open a page with information about your app. The OAuth consumer key is displayed.

After creating your OAuth Application, set the following connection properties:

  • InitiateOAuth: GETANDREFRESH.
  • OAuthJWTCert: The JWT certificate store.
  • OAuthJWTCertType: The type of certificate store specified by OAuthJWTCert.
  • OAuthJWTCertPassword: The password of the JWT certificate store.
  • OAuthJWTIssuer: The OAuth Client ID.
  • OAuthJWTSubject: The username (email address) of the permitted user profile configured in the connected OAuth app.

Note: This flow never issues a refresh token.

Copyright (c) 2025 CData Software, Inc. - All rights reserved.
Build 25.0.9440